Strawberry Kiss
by Gingeh
Summary: Meanwhile, the forsaken Ichigo was still falling. She looked to the other Mews for help- but they were battling the Chimera, not to mention saving the people her boyfriend had deserted. 'Well', she thought hopefully. 'At least I'll land on my feet.' -RxI-


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**Strawberry Chuu**

_A Tokyo Mew Mew fanfic  
By Gingeh, who, despite very much wanting to, does not own TMM  
_

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"RIBBON STRAWBERRY-"

"Ko-ne-ko-chan!"

And then his mouth was covering hers, and she was shrinking._ Kisshu, you're gonna DIE_, screamed Ichigo inwardly as she morphed into her cat form.

"Awww," crooned Kisshu as he scooped her up. "Koneko-chan is a _real _koneko-chan!" She hissed, and he giggled as they rose higher into the air – and further away from the fighting.

"Ichigo!" screamed Minto. "Now is _not _the time!" She deflected an attack from the Chimera as she spoke, and it wailed.

_Like I can help it! _Ichigo glared. Kisshu chuckled, and she snarled. Reaching up with a paw, she raked her claws across his face.

"ITAI!!" As expected, he reached up to clutch his now bleeding face and let go of Neko-Ichigo's body. She dropped. _Hmm…maybe I should have thought this through…_

"Ichigo!" …_Aoyama-kun? _

True to form, her Blue Knight had turned away from the fighting to come save her. She couldn't help but be touched, despite that by doing that, her darling had abandoned a rather large group of helpless civilians.

"Koneko-chan!" And here came Kisshu, who had apparently recovered from her attack rather quickly. Maybe he had strange healing powers or something. The aliens all seemed to recover from things that would keep a normal human in the hospital for months in a matter of days, so it made sense. She'd really have to ask Akasaka-san about it sometime…

"Stay away from her!"

Oh, right, something was happening.

As he'd spoken, Masaya had drawn his sword and leapt into the air. Kisshu now brandished his own weapons with a grin and dove towards him. They met with a loud _crash _of metal on metal, and the fight was on.

Meanwhile, the forsaken Ichigo was _still _falling. She looked to the other Mews for help- but they were battling the Chimera, as well as the combined forces of Pai and Taruto. Not to mention saving the poor people her boyfriend had deserted.

_Well, _she thought hopefully. _At least I'll land on my feet. _She squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for impact…

…but it never came. After a few moments, she slowly opened one eye. Then the other.

She was cradled in a pair of strong, bronzed arms. She moved her gaze upward. Black shirt…red collar...blond hair…"Cats don't have wings, baka Strawberry."

…_Shirogane. Kami, I'm never going to hear the end of this._

"Did you manage to hurt yourself, baka?" The unexpected note of concern in his voice made her look at him sharply, but his expression was as infuriatingly indifferent as always. She shook her head.

"Good." With that, he brought her face to his lips and kissed her softly. Her body started tingling as she transformed into back into her MewMew self. She blinked, and found her face about an inch from her boss's smirking one. She blushed and glared. "Pervert!"

"I'm not the one turning red, Strawberry."Unable to find a good comeback for this at the moment, she whirled around and stalked off to join in the fighting, which seemed to be quickly drawing to a close.

She passed off the strange, oddly pleasant tingling still lingering in her lips as a side-effect of her transformation.

.:..:....:..:.

"Phew! I'm glad that's over!" Ichigo wiped a hand across her brow and she watched the aliens disappear, with Kisshu's typical promise that they would return.

"Why? You weren't even _there _for half of it!" remarked Minto scathingly.

"Minto! That's not nice! It wasn't my fault!"

"Of course it was! You _abandoned_ us, Ichigo! Not to mention you're so completely incompetent that you needed saving by not one, but _two _people!"

Masaya blushed, and Ryou coughed and looked away.

Ichigo glared. "I can't help it if I turn into a cat!"

"Ano…you shouldn't fight…" said Retesu, quietly.

"Why not? Ichigo caused a lot of trouble, and she won't even apologize!"

"Hey! I didn't _mean _to let Kisshu kiss me, and I didn't ask _anyone _to come save me! Why should I have to apologize?"

"Because you're-"

"Minto. Stop." Zakuro placed a hand on both girls' shoulders and glared ice at them

"Demo, Onee-sama-!"

"MINNA! Look, look, I made up a new trick!"

Purin, who had lost interest in the conversation some time ago and wandered away, now made a dramatic re-entrance, rolling in on top of an enormous ball. Of course, the ball wasn't anything remarkable. Nor was the large stack of dishes, bowls, teacups, and various other porcelain items balanced precariously atop her head. No, the interesting part of her newest feat was the rather large orange cat that she was trying to juggle. The key word there is '_trying_', because within about .5 seconds, there was a loud _crash_, and the Monkey Mew was sitting in a pile of fractured pottery, with the fat cat looking sitting on her head like some sort of weird hat.

"Heh-heh…I haven't really practiced it that much yet, na no da." She grinned, and the tension was broken as everyone had to laugh.

.:..:....:..:.

Several hours later, Ichigo was sweeping up the last of the broken glass. Retasu was taking the orange cat to the nearest shelter, despite Purin's vehement protests that it should stay become the Café's official mascot (Ryou had firmly rejected that idea, to Ichigo's relief. Stupid mama's-boy pervert cat had _no _place anywhere near her!) . Purin had gone home to fix dinner for her siblings, and Zakuro had a photo shoot the next morning and had left to get some beauty rest. Minto, of course, had disappeared the second there was the slightest chance of her needing to do work. Akasaka-san was in the kitchen cleaning up for the next day, and Ryou had long since disappeared upstairs.

Ichigo looked around her and sighed. "Why do I always end up having to do everything?"

"Because you're a good person?"

She jumped, and spun to look behind her. "Aoyama-kun! You're still here?"

He smiled that adorable little half-smile, and she felt a little weak at the knees. "I needed to talk to you."

At once, she was transported to fantasy world.

"_Ichigo?" "Hai, Aoyama-kun?" He got down on one knee, and suddenly they were on a tropical beach, silhouetted by the sun's dying rays. "Will you…" he withdrew a small box, and flipped it open to reveal a dazzling diamond ring. "Marry me?"_

_She squealed, and launched herself at him. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes, I'll marry you!" He caught her, and spun her around. "I'm glad." He set her down, and pulled her to him. She leaned in and met him halfway. Stars exploded behind her eyes, angels sung, and she smiled. The most perfect boy in the world was kissing her, and she had no ears. No tail. She sighed into the kiss, and withdrew to breathe. She opened her eyes, and looked deep into his blue orbs…wait, blue?!_

_She backed up, and gasped. "Sh..SHIROGANE?!" She screamed. Why was HE in her daydream?! Her head was spinning, and it only got worse when he reached out a hand and stroked her cheek."Ichigo…" he murmured. "Ichigo…" Hey, was his voice getting louder? "Ichigo." "Ichigo." "Ichigo!"_

"Ichigo! Ichigo!" She blinked, and took in Aoyama's worried face. "Are you okay? You weren't answering me…"

"H-hai. I'm fine." _As fine as I can be after a fantasy like that. Stupid Shirogane. He ruins everything!_

She shook head, trying to rid herself of the weirdness. "You wanted to talk about something, Aoyama-kun?"

He didn't look convinced, but he nodded. "Well…it's about today."

"The battle?"

"Kind of."

She stared at him. "_You _don't think I skipped out of the first half of it on purpose, do you?"

"No! No, nothing like that."

"Oh." she said, relieved. "Then what?"

"Well…when you turned into a cat-"

"When Kisshu _turned _me into a cat." She corrected.

"Right. When Kisshu turned you into a cat, and I fought him, Shirogane-san caught you after you fell. He then…turned you back to normal. By…well, you know…"

"Yeah…I know."

She blushed, and then glared at herself. _There's nothing to blush about._

"Well…why did you let him?"

"Catch me?"

"No, turn you back to normal….kiss you."

"Oh. Well, because it was in the middle of a battle, and I needed to get back to it."

"I was right above you, you could have called me."

"You were battling Kisshu!"

"It would have taken two seconds!"

"You could have _died_ in two seconds!"

"Better then having that playboy kiss you!"

"He's not a playboy! He's annoying, and a jerk, but he's not a playboy!" _Hold on, did I just defend- arrgh, that's not important right now!_

"Anyway, it was just a business kiss, there's nothing to be jealous over!" She huffed. "If you _have _to be jealous of someone, be jealous of Kisshu! His kisses have actual feelings in them! His feelings, anyway. Not mine."

"But this isn't the first time it's happened! Every time you turn into a cat, _he's _the one to turn you back! _Every time!_ It's stupid, Ichigo! It can't be accidental that he's _always _at the right place at the right time!"

"Of course it's not an accident! He can't fight, like you can, so he's waiting at the sidelines so he can help in whatever way he can! When something goes wrong with _anyone_, he's there! I just happen to be the one it goes wrong with the most, that's all!"

"That's _not _all! I don't like the way he looks at you, Ichigo!"

"What? You mean his arrogant glare?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"Then you're delusional, because that's the only look he gives me!"

"You sound like you want him to look at you another way."

"I do not!" she sputtered, remembering the daydream. "That's crazy!"

"Is it, Ichigo? Is it?" He seemed to have calmed down, and was looking at her sadly. "I think you like him Ichigo. No, actually…I think you're in love with him."

His words hit her like a brick. "You think…I'm in _love_? With _Shirogane_?!" If the situation hadn't been so serious, she would have burst out laughing.

"Ichigo…I'm sorry. I can't…I can't keep you from him."

"Aoyama-kun, what are you talking about?!"

"I think we should…break up."

His words echoed throughout the empty café, and she could swear she felt time stop.

"…You…you're joking, right? Right, Aoyama-kun?"

He turned away from her. "You'll thank me for this one day, Ichigo." His voice cracked. He walked to the doorway, and paused. Still not facing her, he said softly, "I'm sorry."

Then he was gone, and Ichigo felt her legs collapse from underneath her.

"No way…"

.:..:....:..:.

"Oi. Strawberry. Wake up."

_Strawberry…?_

She slowly let her eyelids lift, and found herself looking straight into the smirking face of her blond boss.

"Rise and shine, Strawberry."

She screamed.

.:..:....:..:.

"Oh, I see. I fell asleep at one of the tables last night." _Then…it really happened. My perfect relationship…_

Ichigo stared into her teacup, occasionally swirling the liquid around with her spoon, but never drinking. Keiichiro watched with concern. "Would you like some more sugar with that, Ichigo?"

She dropped her spoon, and fumbled around for it in her tea for a minute before withdrawing it. Keiichiro silently handed her a towel, and she accepted it with a forced grin.

"Arigatou, Akasaka-san!" She wiped her spoon furiously. _Act normal, act normal, act normal…_

"Did something happen, Ichigo? I heard yelling last night-"

"Oh no, look at the time! I've got school, I'm gonna be late! I'll see you this afternoon, Akasaka-san!" And she fled.

"I could give you a ride!" he called after her, only to be replied to by the sound of the front doors slamming and Ryou yelling out the upstairs window, "Doors are expensive, baka Strawberry! Any scratch is coming out of _your _paycheck!"

Keiichiro sighed. This day was not starting out very well.

.:..:....:..:.

Ichigo sighed. No way was she going to school. Aoyama-kun would be there, and she really couldn't face him just now. She let her feet wander where they would, and let herself sink into her thoughts.

_What a stupid thing to breakup over. Business kisses, that's all they were! We're trying to save the world here! If someone can help, you accept their help and get back in the fight! What's a couple of kisses in the light of saving the Earth? I mean, what's the big deal? It's _Shirogane_, for crying out loud! The guy who enjoys making my life as miserable as he can! Why would I _enjoy _getting kissed by him? Admittedly, he _is _a fantastic kisser, but-_

"NYAAAAA!!" She clutched her head, where two ears had popped out in a most conspicuous manner.

_I did _not _just think that! Okay, deep breaths, Ichigo. Maybe Shirogane is a great kisser, but that doesn't mean anything. It means…nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing, nothing, nothi-_

Her mental berating came to a screeching halt when she walked into a tree and suddenly found herself seeing stars. _Seeing stars…_

She was abruptly reminded of her dream kiss, and she felt her face turn a dark red. She couldn't help but remember how soft those lips were, how safe she'd felt when she'd been in his arms, how gentle he'd been, and she began to wonder what it would feel like if it wasn't a dream -

"NYAAA!!" The yowl resounded throughout the park, and caused several people to look around in a panic for some sort of injured wild cat on the prowl.

Ichigo began hitting her head against the tree she'd walked into earlier. "I-_hate-_him, I-_HATE_-him, I-_**HATE**_-him, I-_**HATE**_-him -" "Him who?"

For the third time within the space of five minutes, Ichigo let out a loud, "NYAAAA!!" and felt her ears and tail pop out – again. Ryou smirked, and she glared.

"SHIROGANE!! What are you DOING here!!"

He yawned, and looked away. "Keiichiro was worried about you, so he asked me stop by your school to make sure you'd gotten there safely. You hadn't, so I wandered around for a bit until I heard your 

annoying, screechy voice. Then I ended up here." He stretched, and looked back at her, his gaze piercing. Ichigo tried as hard as she could to keep her mind from that _stupid _dream. The bell on her tail jingled, and she resisted the urge to hiss.

"So…" he said nonchalantly. "Mind explaining what you're doing way out here? And _not in school_?"

She gulped. "Well…" The last person she wanted to tell about the breakup was _him_. But she had a feeling he wouldn't believe her if she told anything but the truth. _Great…_

"Aoyama-kun broke up with me," she whispered.

There were a few moments of awkward silence.

"I'm sorry."

"It was because of you."

He raised a brow, sympathy quickly disappearing from his face. "Me? You're gonna have to explain _that _one, Strawberry."

"Don't CALL me STRAWBERRY!!" She exploded. "And for your information, genius, it's your fault because of those stupid transformation kisses!"

"What are you talking about?"

"YOU!" She pointed an accusing finger. "Every time I turn into a cat, _you _change me back! With a kiss! And Aoyama-kun says that because of that, I'm somehow in love with you! YOU! So he broke up with me so he wouldn't stand in the way of our 'true love', and now he's gone, and I'm being haunted by that STUPID DREAM!!"

She panted heavily, her face flushed. Her ears twitched, and her tail swished angrily from side to side. Ryou stood silent.

"Well?!" she huffed.

"Well, what?"

"Well what do you have to say for yourself?!"

He rolled his eyes. "I still fail to see how this is even _remotely _my fault."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T GET IT, YOU INSANE JERK?!"

He sighed, and began ticking off reasons on his fingers. "One, it's my duty to help you girls in whatever way I can, even if it means kissing baka strawberries." He held up his other hand to still her retort. "Two, if your boyfriend can't see that, he can't be very bright, which makes me wonder why you'd want to date him anyway. Three, if he gets jealous over something so little, and then breaks up with you because 

of that same something, then that's not love, that's possessiveness, and it's annoying. So you see, if anything, it's entirely _his_ fault."

By the end of this speech, Ichigo was looking rather volcano-like. "Aoyama-kun is a wonderful person, and he genuinely likes me -"

"There's your key word, Strawberry. 'Likes'. Even if I hadn't been kissing you, you two would have been over within the next three months, because you just 'like' each other."

"Ryou, you insensitive jerk, if this is supposed to make me feel better, it's not working!"

"You're the one you insisted on blaming me."

"ARRGH! Just leave me ALONE!!"

She turned away with a pout. _Stupid Shirogane. How could Aoyama-kun break up with me because of _him_? And so what if we only 'liked' each other? Liking can grow to loving! _She nodded decisively to herself. _Unlike hatred. Hate can NOT become love. And I _hate _Shirogane. Hate him, hate him, hate him! _

Her daydream popped into her head again, and she bit her lip to keep from yelling again. _I HATE him! I don't care if he's a good kisser or not, I don't care! I don't care if he's incredibly gorgeous, with his build, and his hair and his eyes… ooh, his eye…they're so blue, I could just drown in them…not that I care. They could be oceans for all I care. He's Shirogane, an insensitive, unfair, low-paying, arrogant, smirking, argumentative, infuriating, cold, handsome, strong, and smart – GYAA! I did it again! I don't like Shirogane, I don't like him, I don't like him, I don't like him, I don't like him..._

A familiar pair of warm arms enveloped her from behind, and a soft voice whispered in her ear. "I'm not going anywhere, Strawberry. Hate me all you want, I'm not going anywhere."

She felt herself relax, though she tried to fight it. _I don't like him, I don't like him…_her tail bell jingled.

He spun her around and pulled her further into his chest. His fingers played with her ears, and she couldn't help but purr.

"I'm going to tell you a secret, Strawberry." He tilted her head up, and she knew her whole face was red.

_I don't like him, I don't like him._

He leaned forward, so their noses were touching. She was almost hyperventilating.

_I don't like him, I don't like him._

"Do you promise not to tell anyone?" She though she nodded, but her whole world was sort of fuzzy, so she couldn't say for sure.

_I don't like him, I don't like him_

"The secret is…"

He was whispering right next to her mouth. She could feel his breath, and felt her own stop.

_I don't like him, I DON'T like him!_

"…that I _love _you."

And then he was kissing her, and she was kissing back, and there was a whole parade's worth of fireworks exploding behind her eyes. The angels were back, and they'd brought friends with harps, and she could swear that all the stars in the sky had suddenly decided to come to Earth and have a dance party around the two of them. She opened her eyes, looked into his, and finally let herself drown.

…_Okay. Maybe I like him a little bit._

Then suddenly, there was a poof, and Ryou was a whole lot bigger. And he was smirking.

"You know, maybe I love you more like this. You can't talk this way."

Neko Ichigo hissed.

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**Authoress Note:**

Well, considering, I don't think this was that bad :D. The kissing scene was kinda yucky, but I can't write those to save my life. :P. And I think Ryou was a little ooc there at the end (ARRGH! I tried, I really did. Apparently, I can't do him being romantic T-T). But other then that, I think it was okay, for a first fanfic. -spins randomly-

Oh! Before I forget, a huge thank you to Cherri-Sakura for encouraging me to get started writing and already -gives her a cookie-. And, of course, thanks to all of the fabulous people who voted in my poll. All two of you! -giggles-. And, thanks in advance to any and all who review. -whispers- If you review, Purin will give you muffins! Oh, and constructive criticism is _always _welcome, though flames are yucky. Flamers go poof! -poofs flamers-

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